Monday is the last day of the public tender for the selection of ten constitutional judges. By midday, 33 candidates had applied, including four current constitutional judges whose term of office ended on 7 June.

As the eight-year term of ten constitutional judges expired early last month but was extended for another six months until new judges are selected, the Parliamentary Committee on the Constitution, Standing Orders, and Political System issued a public call on 14 June to judicial institutions, law faculties, the Bar Association, legal associations, political parties, other legal entities and individuals to fill their positions.

Four of the judges whose term of office has expired have applied for a new term of office

The terms of office of judges Andrej Abramovic, Ingrid Anticevic-Marinovic, Snjezana Bagic, Branko Brkic, Mario Jelusic, Lovorka Kusan, Josip Leko, Davorin Mlakar, Rajko Mlinaric and Miroslav Sumanovic have expired, and four of them want another term: Branko Brkic, Mario Jelusic, Lovorka Kusan and Miroslav Sumanovic.

The 30-day deadline for the submission of applications following the announcement of the public call ends on Monday.

Of the 33 candidates who have applied, the majority, namely ten, are lawyers. Six professors from the Zagreb Faculty of Law have also applied for a position in the Constitutional Court, which has 13 judges, including President Miroslav Separovic.

The former President of the Supreme Court and current judge Djuro Sessa has also applied, as has the former Ombudswoman for Children Ivana Milas-Klaric, who was also an assistant professor of family law at the Zagreb Faculty of Law.

Procedure to be finalised in December

In the public call for constitutional judges in 2016, 49 candidates applied, but three applications were rejected as invalid.

A person who can be elected as a constitutional judge must be a Croatian citizen, a lawyer with at least 15 years of professional experience who has distinguished themselves through academic work or public service, or a doctor of law who, in addition to fulfilling other conditions, has at least 12 years of experience in the legal profession.

The procedure for nominating and proposing candidates for election to Parliament is carried out by the Committee on the Constitution, Standing Orders, and Political System, which publishes a public call, collects applications and interviews those who fulfil the requirements.

The appointment of constitutional judges takes place in a plenary session of Parliament, in which the MPs vote on each candidate. A two-thirds majority, i.e. 101 votes, is required to appoint a candidate.

As Parliament goes into summer recess until 15 September, this procedure will then resume and must be completed by 7 December.